Building our GT27 Houseboat, Part 7
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2021
- Part 7 of building the GT27 - a 27' long, roomy, trailerable river cruiser designed by Jacques Mertens.
We began the build in late July 2018. Part 7 documents the completion of the fore and aft windows, the cabin roof hatch, a lot of fairing and sanding, and the cockpit coamings--plus some bonus footage of our new Irish Wolfhound puppy, Saoirse ("ser sha").
Watch the full series here: czcams.com/play/PLm.html...
Jump to a specific part of the build here:
Part 1: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 2: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 3: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 4: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 5: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 6: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 7: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 8: • Building our GT27 Hous...
Part 9: • Building our GT27 Hous...
I showed my wife. This boat is really special.
that ending statement was the best!!!
Yeah, that was classic as my head hit the keyboard!
I just love the work you guys are doing as a family. Your building a legacy not just a boat. Well done
Thanks Daryl!
Good to see you and crew back at completion of the garage Nautilus , your care and determination are appreciated by wood smiths hither and yon.
Every full time boatbuilder considers an insulated shed as a necessity. Doing this in the open shows real determination. Great work.
Thanks Ray! Oh how nice it would be to have an insulated shed for this project! :)
I'm in awe at the sheer will and talent i restore old cars and boats and i know what it takes to get to the finish line but ive never built one from scratch you sir are a master of the craft. Thank you for posting this its re energized my idea of building my own trailerable house boat.
Wow! I am delighted!
You’re about a year or two ahead of me. These videos are very helpful. Thanks!
Are you going to vllog your boat too?
Glad to hear they're helpful Larry! Good luck with the build!
saya menunggu part 8
because you really inspire me
If I build a house boat and then go around thousands of islands in Indonesia, my country
for sure it will be a very unbelievably great experience.
pretty cool!!!
Wow incredible. I think its amazing how you and your wife work together. High five for including the kiddos when it was safe to do so. They will have memories forever.
Thanks Greg! I hope they'll all remember this fondly when they're grown!
Can't wait to see her float, one of if not the best Houseboat builds on the internets ! lol great job lovely family!
Thanks! We're excited to see her float too!
I wish I had your patience, amazing job!
Lol, I wish I did too! Instead, I just delete all the footage of swearing and tantrums! :)
Love watching a craftsman at work. Your work is that of a fine furniture maker
Ha! Not as good as a furniture maker, I'm sure, but we do try our best! Thanks for the compliment!
A joy to watch you create such a masterpiece.
Thanks Brian!
Thank you for the step for step blue print to build the GT Cruiser. It is one of the two boats on my final shortlist. He inspire you as well as scaring the living daylight out of you by showing the required effort and tenacity required and tenacity is not something I do not lack.
You're welcome! This is definitely not a build for the faint of heart... Tenacity and patience are a must!
Your attention to detail and continued motivation is amazing. This thing should out last you, your children, and possibly your grandchildren, if it’s taken care of. I’m hooked!
Thanks Rod!
Sure would love to see you guys finishing the job so far it’s very impressive great videos
You guys are doing so well. I do hope you can show us the next stage soon. I will be watching with anticipation. Thanks. Cliff from South Africa.
Thanks Cliff!
Great to see you back!
Thanks! I'm really bummed we didn't get to prime and paint as we had intended, but I'm sure we'll get there this fall. Better to do it right than rush forward and risk a terrible paint job in the heat.
It takes true dedication to put that much work and money into a project. I’m finishing up an easy renovation on a 1978 Chysler C26 sloop. I’m impressed by the endless hours you’ve spent and your attention to detail. I bet your neighbors will be happy when you’re done. I’m sure mine will be.
Thanks Gary! I don't think the neighbors mind too much, except on long days running the sander! Fortunately we're almost done with the exterior finishing!
It's great to watch another video in your series. It's an enjoyment to watch you and your enjoying this project
Thanks Ryan!
great video. Looking forward to part 8.
Been watching and I am impressed! I am a career boat builder and you are doing a beautiful job. Great example for your children about sticking with it no matter what! Happy boating.
Waiting on you to get back to work.... wonderful family you have. We are on your lake! Love ya'll. Woody and Linda
Thanks Woody! We're planning to get back to building this weekend, after a two month hiatus. Hopefully, the next video will come relatively soon after. We're hoping to get the rest of the exterior painted before winter, but I'm waiting for the insects to die off a bit or they'll ruin the finish...
Truly this is a labor of love. Sir how you and your family have and do work together is a wonderful thing to behold, not to mention your talents and skills. Your dedication is very inspiring. I can’t wait to see its completion and launch. Thanks for video posts, and please keep’m coming!
Take care. 👍
Thanks! We took a few months off due to the heat and rain this year, but we're starting up again now that cooler fall weather has finally arrived. Hopefully the next video will come along soon.
You're a very talented man. Really enjoyed the video.
Thanks Tracie!
So I just found this channel tonight and watched you build this beast from the beginning and love the progress. Living in NC myself, I can only imagine how much hotter it is down there in GA, not to mention that we just had Elsa roll through last week. Look forward to seeing more progress on the boat. Well once the weather cools down lol
Yep, the summer is always a challenge in Georgia. This year has actually been a little more pleasant than typical, due to fairly frequent rain helping to cool things off. Unfortunately, it just isn't cool enough for a sustained period so that the marine paint has optimal cure temperatures. But we will keep at it and when the cooler weather returns, we should finally be able to get the exterior painted. It has been a long time coming, so I can hardly wait. :)
Yay!!!
you guys are back. Nice work!!!
Thanks! We're trying our best!
Some men consider themselves lucky to have found a spouse that will allow them to go fishing on occasion. Other men consider themselves fortunate to have found a spouse who enjoys that time with them on the water. At the 2:25 mark is an angelic rock star, catch of the century digging in, right there side by side, getting dirty and practicing patience and discipline. Man oh man, ladies and gentlemen, I know it takes two to make a relationship but right there is full on evidence of what happens when you find success! I raise a toast and whenever that day is Happy Anniversary! Oh yeah, nice boat and thanks for taking us along...
Thanks James! I am very blessed to have these wonderful women in my life. 😀
Incredible
Thank you for sharing your build with us. That is a ton of work. You will have quite a handcrafted boat when finished. I wanted to build this model myself but I doubt I could be as committed as you are. You have my sympathy's on the weather in Georgia I am south of Atlanta and know how difficult it is to get anything done this time of year.
Hey JYDOG, thanks for the kind words. I've been watching your channel for a few years now, so I knew you were a fellow Georgian and a fellow tinkerer. I've enjoyed several of your projects. Thanks for checking in to say hello!
Well done ! ... I always look forward to your video's
Thanks Rick!
Hello, I'm from Brazil and I'm following your journey, congratulations, beautiful family and they are doing a beautiful service. when will we have new videos? God bless you!
Hi Cleber, thanks for the kind remarks! I hope we will have a new video soon, but it's probably a month or two away yet. The weather has made progress difficult because we no longer have a shelter over the boat, so any day it rains or is too cold for epoxy, we can't work on it, and we're already confined to working on weekends. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of cold and rainy weekends for the past many months, but the weather is starting to warm again. Hopefully, the rain will lay off too...
Really look forward to these video's.
Thanks Rob! Glad you're enjoying them!
I Just Love house boat
Thanks!
Hi, that looks like a great project. I've built a Mertens CS23 and have the HB20's design on my nightstand. Waiting for winter to start the HB20. Its great that you include the family in the build. Love your team. Cant wait for the splash video. It might be a little late but I would suggest investing in kneepads and a decent 3M respirator.
Thanks Antonie! We're far behind on progress... too much life going on with the girls getting into sports, etc. and the continuing weather challenges. But life is good so I can't complain.
Looks like a lot of progress there. I'm sure at this point you are wondering the same. When am I going to splash this ship? That is a very nice boat my friend,whould love to see it on the water,I sure as you whould. Keep those videos coming Evan if it's just a fragment of you build. That keeps others inspired. God bless you in your indevers sir
Thanks for the kind remarks Billy! We've taken most of the last month off because the heat is so insufferable, but are looking forward to getting back to it--and finally painting the rest of the exterior--when the (hopefully) cooler September weather arrives in another month. Right now, in Georgia, it feels like someone is slapping you in the face with a hot towel whenever you walk outside. :)
Amazing! Glad I found your channel and subscribed. Building boat of this size is probably something I will not do. Like you responded to a comment "Not for the feint of heart" Thank you for bringing us along as you and your family work on this project. 👍
Thanks so much!
WOW!
WELL DONE SIR!
NO MANUFACTURED HOUSEBOAT IS AS WELL BUILT AS WELL AS YOUR BOAT.
THAT BOAT WILL OUTLIVE US ALL!
IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND THE TIME & MONEY...
DO IT RIGHT!
THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF DOING IT RIGHT!
I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SO MUCH FUN IN THE FUTURE YEARS!
WELL DONE !
WWG1WGA
Lol, I hope it will outlive us! Much work to go and a lot of weather related delays since we're at the mercy of the outdoors, but we're still plugging away and hoping to finish paint the exterior in the next month or two.
Please Sir, could we have more? Looking so forward to pats 8 and onwards. Love your work.
I would love to, but the weather is giving us so many challenges. We're debating building another temporary shelter, but at the moment we're at the mercy of the elements and moving at a snail's pace... unfortunately.
Don't know where you live but the weather is a real bear here and a humdeanger this weekend if the weather people are correct... already just below our rain and snow totals... Even my 3 acre pond is full 3 months earlier than usual, it's usually still down to 18 feet, up already to 26 feet... My ducks and swans are loving it... Bass and Catfish are hitting everything the grandkids cast in...
Really great work. I hope you bought all your wood in 2018!
Man, you ain't kidding! We did buy most of our supplies in 2018-2019, thank heaven! I bet we saved thousands of dollars over what much of that would cost today. Not to mention supply chain issues that have slowed us down on some of the small parts we've needed along the way. No motor yet, and it's looking like that will likely be a 7 month delay right now if we order today. Ugh.
@@LiveDontWatch yes sir. Unfortunately I'm working on my house and need to redo the subfloor. 3/4" OSB used to be cheap. Not anymore.
I just found your channel and have to say what your doing is amazing. As a woodworker turned shop teacher I appreciate the work you put into your boat. I'm jealous how your wife works with you my wife does nothing ! I'm curious what is your profession and how do your neighbors feel about the work going on?
Thanks Steve, I'm a lucky guy to have a wife and three girls in my life who help me a lot. I'm a literature professor by training, now an academic dean. All self taught when it comes to building things. This is my fifth or sixth boat build, but I'm constantly building things.
Nice work! That’s going to be one solid, long lasting Cottage. And you will be able have a new view out the window every morning. I’m curious as to where the helm station will be, and how it will be set up?
Thanks! The helm will be on the starboard side of the cabin, where you see me in the thumbnail for this video. A wheel and a throttle control, probably hydraulic steering instead of cables/pulleys just to simplify the install and have smoother steering.
Hope you guys are doing well.🙂
Not sure if the plan guide has you doing the epoxy or you just chose it. Im sure a few shipwrights likely informed you of gelcoat and the various marine varnish over glass options that would have saved an immense amount of time and labor. Nice build though and good eye for minor details. Especially like the young botswaines.
Paul here, I have enjoyed your work.
Your detail for following recommend procedures is obvious.
Have been wondering when we will see your next video?
Hi Paul, sorry for the delayed reply. We have some very odd weather in Georgia this year. It went from very hot to surprisingly cool so quickly that we're struggling with the final fairing. It was so hot the fairing putty was curing too quickly and causing us to have to redo work (fast curing thickened epoxy suddenly gets very cottage cheese like in texture, which is the opposite of the smooth surface you want to achieve with the fairing process). Then it got so cool (low 60s or less) that it started taking multiple days to cure, which slowed us way down as well because we often work on weekends. This time of year, it's usually dark by the time we get home from work during the week. Long story short, it could be awhile. We're mulling over whether it's worth the effort to build another temporary outdoor shelter so we can heat it and try to do more finish work on the exterior, or if it's better to shift our attention to the interior and start getting some of that in order... It has been a very frustrating series of weather related challenges since July.
@@LiveDontWatch Looking forward to the next video
Just happened on your video this morning.
Clicked on the play list and binge watched the whole series.
Very good craftsmanship, very impressive.
When you started did you think it would take this long?
Do you have a time frame for splashing the boat?
I like how your whole family is involved in the build, even now almost
three years later.
One more question, have you named her yet?
Thanks Steve! Originally I expected it to take 2 years, but with life throwing us a few curve balls, we had to slow our pace considerably. That, combined with some surprises in the plans, took us out of sync with the seasonal weather I had planned the build around, slowing us even more. But we've learned to live with the slower pace and keep at it. I do think the interior will go much quicker when we get there.
Love the boat building, are there any more episodes, I would like how it turned out, cheers.
Episode 8 is coming. We were set back a lot by weather (rain mostly) and supply chain issues, but we're still working. The exterior fairing is nearly finished and we were finally able to get paint, which hopefully will go on soon!
I too have been waiting for another update. It has been a wonderful viewing experience. You are very skilled and I have learned a great deal from your series.
@@briand3837 Great news... I have about 19 minutes of Part 8 finished. I just need a few final shots when we pull the boat out from my neighbor's carport, which we borrowed to shield us from the sun while painting the topsides. I think Part 8 will be up in the next week, but I'm trying to see if I can get the side windows in before I wrap it up and post it.
@@LiveDontWatch I know it is a great deal of work to edit but your project is just so special. Also good to know you are OK considering Covid and all. Again, thanks for taking the time to share with us all.
Awesome videos! How many hours would you say have been put in so far?
I have completely lost track at this point. I'm not even sure how to guess. More than 1500, but probably less than 3000?
What a great build but why no recent updates
Hi Shane! We lost nearly six months to weather that was first too hot and then too cold and rainy for epoxy to cure at an acceptable rate for the final fairing and prep work for paint. We've made progress, though, more recently. We've been drilling, refilling, and redriling fastener holes; installing the cockpit railings; finishing the propane locker inside one of the seats; trimming the ends of the roof; etc. I hope to be ready to paint the cabin in the next few weeks. The problem is the weather in Georgia is super hot again already. Nice temps in the 60s to 80s are relatively rare, but when it's hotter or colder than that range, it's very difficult to get epoxy, filler, or paint to lay smooth the way we need--and these materials are so expensive it's not something we can afford to rush. So my HOPE is to have Part 8 available by the end of May. We'll see, but we're trying... Working outside sucks. If we had an indoor climate controlled shop, the boat would be long done by now!
What is the link to where I can buy similar windows
Good job.... can't wait to see your project on water.
Did you find a solution to reuse the foam rolls for applying the epoxy?
I have to throw them away after once used.
How many did you buy?
Better questions... how much did you spend for your project?
Greetings Jens
We've had to throw away the foam rollers every time. Often, they start to deteriorate on the first use, so not worth trying to save them. I couldn't begin to tell you how many we've bought. We tend to buy them a few dozen at a time, and replenish as needed.
where did you get your puppy from? I've always thought wolfhounds are awkward looking but still think they are neat.
I found someone who intended to raise and breed her, but was worried about her puppy clumsiness and size around their smaller dogs (she kept tripping and falling on them when playing) , so they decided to re-home her at 16 weeks. I drove up to the Midwest to get her. She's beautiful, super gentle, and extremely smart, so I'm positive she was hand-picked from a very good breeder, but not sure which one.
WHERE IS PART 8!?!?!?!
where the part 8?
Have you started the new, bigger houseboat to hold the dog ? :-)
LOL, not yet! We took almost three months off waiting for the heat and then the incessant rain to let up, but we've finally gotten back into the swing. Ironically now the problem is how quickly it's turning cold enough to make it hard for epoxy to cure. This has been a rough year for boat building outside. Really wishing I had an enclosed space again...
@@LiveDontWatch I understand. Wishing you all the very best in your tireless endeavours :-)
Stay away from haul over inlet!!!
Is it time for an update? Did you finish it? Please don’t leave us hanging!
Ha! I wish! We've only managed to get about ten hours of finishing work done on the exterior since July. It was too hot, then suddenly too cold or too rainy to accomplish much. We're hoping for a mild and reasonably dry Spring so we can finally finish the exterior and paint it. The only alternative would be to build another enclosure but we're trying to avoid that if we can.
were you able to work on the boat more during the lockdown?
Sort of, yes. There are a lot of small epoxy-related steps that don't take long to accomplish, but then we have to wait 6-8 hours for the epoxy to cure before we can do more. While teleworking during the lockdown last spring, I was able to take 15 minutes to glue something on the boat mid-day, then work for the rest of the day while it cured, then resume boat work in the evening. Normally, I can only work on the boat in the evenings after work, so it was definitely more convenient being home to do quick glue-ups in the morning or at lunchtime so they'd be cured by the evening.
were the part 8.
Part 7 was 7 months ago are you completing a part 8?
Are we in the water yet?
Lol, I wish! We've barely made any progress since the end of the last video (last July). Without a shelter over the boat, the very wet, unusually cold winter has prevented us from finishing the tedious fairing and sanding to get the exterior surfaces ready for paint. The weather in GA is starting to warm now, so hopefully if the rain will let off, we can get back to it and get back on track. I can't WAIT until the outside of this boat is painted and sealed up. It will be much easier to finish the rest from that point on...
How many sheets of plywood for the entire build?
It's hard to say exactly but very close to these numbers: 19 sheets of 1/2" Okoume ply, 24 sheets of 3/8" Okoume ply, and 18 sheets of 1/4" Okoume ply. Thank heaven I ordered all that about four years ago, before the pandemic and a fire at a major global plywood factory put prices through the roof.
Can I please get the make, model, and length of your boat trailer?
It's a Venture VATB 8025 aluminum tandem axle trailer. I may swap it out for a different trailer, or else fit it with an adapter to use a weight distribution hitch.
@@LiveDontWatch Thank you! What is the length on it?
@@tanner8319it's rated for 25-27' boats, but I don't know the overall length... never measured it
Have not seen a video lately since last year how is the project going?
It's going well but slow. We're drilling, filling, and redrilling a ton of fastener holes for cleats and other hardware, finishing and fairing all the little cockpit details (railings, etc.), and prepping to paint the cabin.
Good to hear from you, yes these projects take so much time
Quick question. How wide is the boat and how wide is the cabin ...
It appears to be 10 ft?
Its slightly over the legal towing without special conditions.
I started converting the plans to trailerable dimensions.
@@dnomyarnostaw goodonyas! Mine too! 9'10" give or take... I was wondering because I liked the spatial layout It looks right to the eye! Cabin to hull!
The design is 8'9" wide, but I scaled it down to 8'5". Length is a little over 27 feet. The cabin uses the full width, but the side decks come inboard about 7" on either side before they meet the cabin sides. The cabin is about 17' long.
The proportions are aesthetically pleasing! Goodonyas!
An excellent job narrating and still I think your voice is creepier than Steven King. A weird dichotomy .
Lol. Good to know I can switch over to narrating horror stories on CZcams if my day job doesn't work out. 😀
Haven't been able to post in 10 months? Fairing and sanding really is going on and on...
Part 8 will be up soon--hopefully, by the end of the month. Fairing and sanding did go on and on, but we also lost several months to unseasonably cold, wet Winter that made it impossible to finish the epoxy work outside. As of yesterday, the topsides are fully painted, the hull paint is refreshed with two coats as well, and we are putting on hardware.
@@LiveDontWatch All good man, it's looking great.
what is this state? some of Dixie?
Georgia
@@LiveDontWatch Yepp! Andestend! it is South...
Part 8?
Some day.... eventually. We're making progress but it's very slow with the weather always raining
Where did you go? Hope there was not any health issues.......
Nope, just weather issues. With the cabin, the boat is too tall to build a roof over so we've been at the mercy of the elements. Summer heat and then the winter cold and rain brought us to a grinding halt for almost six months. We're back at it now and hoping Part 8 will be ready soon.
Compared to remodeling our kitchen that looks like a real slug fest. Nice attention to detail.
when is the next video
Quite awhile away, I'm afraid. We've been waiting on the suffocating heat and humidity to pass.
WHO
WHERE IS PART 8!?!?!?!
WHERE IS PART 8!?!?!?!
WHERE IS PART 8!?!?!?!
A few more weeks... hopefully around the end of May.
@@LiveDontWatch Will be wait! thank you!